These details, announced today in the Guardian, outline functions of the police service that private security companies such as G4S will be bidding for. Currently the proposal relate to West Midlands and Surrey police.
It is primarily a responsibility shifting and cost saving exercise. Please support this campaign idea to stop the privatisation of the police!!! Policing is such a core public service and is something that cannot possibly be allowed to become privatised to this sort of scale. Outsourcing of a police finance departments or vehicle maintanence is understandable but the areas proposed are too front of house. Lets pretend G4S were a main provider of services in the areas outlined above - How far back would G4S strip victim or witness support to maximise profitability. Profitabilty is the wrong measure of success for something so key to society. Doubtless if this is allowed to go ahead in the West Midlands and Surrey other forces will follow suit.

The Winsor Report 2 is not just about privatisation of some areas of policing it is far more serious. His recommendations if implemented will change front line policing as we know it and will bring in the most radical changes to policing in this country we have ever seen. Feds and front line police officers are using social networking sites to highlight these recommendations and bring it into the public domain. Their concerns need to be supported. Please take a look at the recommendations of this report.

The privatisation, at least in part, of police forces is just a scheme to reduce the wage bill and for the owners of the companies providing the 'service' to pocket most of the difference.

The trouble is that once the housing benefit, tax credits and child care allowances for the new staff, now on the minimum wage, have been taken into account it will actually cost the country more. But who cares? The politicians will be able to point to the lower cost of policing the country and blame those on benefit for being feckless while the company management and shareholders will be getting even richer. And I wonder who they are?

Let's not forget the fact that an overseeing QUANGO will be set up to monitor private companies carrying our police 'back room' functions. Probably dubbed Ofcrime. Not only will it cost whatever savings are made by police forces it will mostly be staffed by highly paid ...................... well guess who. Political friends, perhaps?

Thanks for voting for this campaign. I'd be grateful if you could transfer your votes to the link below as it is covering the same issue and has more votes. And of course, please share the link below on twitter, facebook and elsewhere :)

Yes I'd noticed! Don't want us to water each other down. Your post has more votes than mine so I'll ask people to transfer their votes to yours and hopefully we can get 38 degrees supporters fully behind this extremely important issue. If you need any help drop me a note.